US President Donald Trump has said that he had a "long and very good call" with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that a possible trade deal between the United States and China was progressing well.
As a partial shutdown of the US government entered its eighth day with no quick end in sight, the Republican president was in Washington sending out tweets attacking Democrats and talking up possibly improved relations with China.
The two nations have been in a trade war for much of 2018, shaking world financial markets as the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods between the world's two largest economies has been disrupted by tariffs.
Mr Trump and Mr Xi agreed to a ceasefire in the trade war, deciding to hold off on imposing more tariffs for 90 days starting 1 December while they negotiate a deal to end the dispute following months of escalating tensions.
"Just had a long and very good call with President Xi of China," Mr Trump said on twitter.
"Deal is moving along very well. If made, it will be very comprehensive, covering all subjects, areas and points of dispute. Big progress being made!"
Just had a long and very good call with President Xi of China. Deal is moving along very well. If made, it will be very comprehensive, covering all subjects, areas and points of dispute. Big progress being made!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2018
Chinese state media also said Mr Xi and Mr Trump spoke, and quoted Mr Xi as saying that teams from both countries have been working to implement a consensus reached with Mr Trump.
"I hope that the two teams will meet each other half way, work hard, and strive to reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial and beneficial to the world as soon as possible," Mr Xi said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Having cancelled his plans to travel to his estate in Florida for the holidays because of the government shutdown that started on 22 December, Mr Trump tweeted: "I am in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come on over and make a deal."
I am in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come on over and make a deal on Border Security. From what I hear, they are spending so much time on Presidential Harassment that they have little time left for things like stopping crime and our military!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2018
The Republican-controlled Congress was closed for the weekend and few representatives were in the capital.
The shutdown, affecting about one-quarter of the federal government, including 800,000 or so workers, began when funding for several agencies expired.
Congress must pass legislation to restore the funding, but has not done so due to a dispute over Mr Trump's demand that the bill include $5 billion in taxpayer money to help pay for a wall he wants to build along the US-Mexico border.
The wall was a major 2016 campaign promise by Mr Trump, who promised then that it would be paid for by Mexico, which has steadfastly refused to do so.
Mr Trump has since demanded that US taxpayers pay for it at an estimated total cost of $23 billion.
He sees the wall as vital to stemming illegal immigration, while Democrats and some Republicans see it as an impractical and costly project.
The standoff over Mr Trump's demand for funding will be a test for Congress when it returns next week.
In the interim, thousands of employees of federal agencies such as the Homeland Security, Justice, Commerce, Interior, Transportation, Agriculture and other departments were staying at home on furlough or soon to be working without pay.
